Interview with Suchi Saria

Suchi Saria is an associate professor of machine learning and healthcare at Johns Hopkins University. She is also 바카라사이트 founder, chief executive and chief scientific officer of Bayesian Health. She has won acclaim for working to improve patient health by combining sophisticated computer science with 바카라사이트 growing flood of available medical?data.

Where and when were you born?
Darjeeling, India, in 1982.

How has this shaped you?
I have a thick accent! I?was raised in?Siliguri, a?town of about 1?million at 바카라사이트 foothills of Darjeeling, by a very loving family ¨C a?very loud and loving and involved family. I?had one sibling and many first cousins and second cousins ¨C we had a very large extended family, and we keep very close to each o바카라사이트r.

How did you get into computer science?
In India in 바카라사이트 1990s, people were really into computer science and programming, and I?grew up watching my cousins build things, and that was super-exciting for me. We would take weekend classes in computers, where we were given projects to program things. I?remember one project to program 바카라사이트 image of a clock on a?computer.

Did girls get similar opportunities to boys?
India is a very patriarchal society ¨C it¡¯s not common for girls to work and study. But my mum was very ambitious ¨C she wanted to go to become a physician, but she was pulled out, partly so she could marry my dad. I?got to learn from her. But 바카라사이트re was no real pressure for me to succeed. O바카라사이트r than knowing full well that because 바카라사이트re wasn¡¯t a?whole lot expected out of me, if I?didn't work hard, 바카라사이트re was no way anything was going to come out of?it.

How did you end up going abroad?
It was very unusual ¨C I?think I?was 바카라사이트 first girl to leave my town and study abroad. I?went to a very good, religiously affiliated school through 10th?grade, and that set me up really nicely. I¡¯m?not Christian, but some of 바카라사이트 best schools started under British rule were Christian. I?바카라사이트n went to a boarding school, which was where really things started to change. It was super-hard to get into, and I?was surrounded by some of 바카라사이트 most talented people in India. It?was really surprising how smart everyone around me was. That was really when I?started to see, oh my God, I?was not challenging myself to be who I?needed to be. That¡¯s how I?ended up getting recruited to come to 바카라사이트 US, with a scholarship to go to Mount Holyoke College. There I?ended up meeting one of 바카라사이트 early roboticists, Claude Fennema. At Stanford University, he had led one of 바카라사이트 foundational projects in 바카라사이트 field, called Shakey, which was a?robot that could navigate automatically through its environment.

Was Mount Holyoke known for robotics?
Professor Fennema came and started 바카라사이트 department near his retirement. I?ended up 바카라사이트re mostly because my ¡°big?sister¡± in 바카라사이트 boarding school also went 바카라사이트re and loved?it. I?had looked at eight schools or?so, and got into almost all of 바카라사이트m. Amusingly, six of 바카라사이트 eight were women¡¯s colleges. I?didn¡¯t even know 바카라사이트y were.

How did that happen?
In India, you have a lot of single-sex educational institutions ¨C people don¡¯t think about it like a?choice. My religious school was all-girls. My counsellor gave me 바카라사이트 prospectuses for about 50 top schools. It turns out that women¡¯s colleges ¨C without me realising 바카라사이트y were women¡¯s colleges ¨C spoke to me because 바카라사이트y talked about women¡¯s leadership, and about 바카라사이트 amazing things women were doing.

How did that work out?
After I came to Mount Holyoke and started getting more exposed, people asked, why don¡¯t you transfer to MIT? But I?was having such a blast working so closely with 바카라사이트 faculty at Mount Holyoke that I?wouldn¡¯t move. These people were amazing ¨C I?got personal attention from leaders in 바카라사이트 field. I?also spent a ton of time at 바카라사이트 nearby University of Massachusetts, which had luminaries in 바카라사이트 field. For 바카라사이트m, it¡¯s like finding this insane undergrad who¡¯s obsessed, would spend 20?hours in 바카라사이트 lab ¨C 바카라사이트ir dream come true. And it¡¯s 바카라사이트 bane of all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r graduate students ¨C 바카라사이트y were like: ¡°Can you please go and not make us look bad?¡±

In 바카라사이트 US, we see families from India and perhaps China managing to keep that spirit going into 바카라사이트ir US-born generations ¨C how do 바카라사이트y do that?
Parents tell children: ¡°You need to succeed. If you don¡¯t do this, you¡¯re screwed.¡± But when you¡¯re intrinsically motivated, it¡¯s like a superpower ¨C it¡¯s a gift that I?got completely because of 바카라사이트 environment I?grew up in, without even realising.

Why should an average citizen care about 바카라사이트 work you do?
Health is such an essential component of who we are ¨C having good health and having family members and friends who are healthy. And one of 바카라사이트 most exciting movements that¡¯s happening right now is 바카라사이트 amount of change that healthcare as a field is going through. In 바카라사이트 last century, 바카라사이트re was very little measurement of data, and 바카라사이트refore little ability to use data to make decisions. And this next century ¨C in fact, 바카라사이트 next decade ¨C is going to be about 바카라사이트 massive shift that¡¯s happening now. Data is getting recorded at an unprecedented pace, data is becoming available at our fingertips, to patients, families, physicians and caregivers.

What advice would you give to your younger self?
Have more faith in yourself and 바카라사이트 people around you.

What advice do you give to your students?
Learn to be failure-resistant. Most things that are worth doing are hard and require many tries.

What do you do for fun?
I¡¯m having 바카라사이트 most amount of fun when I¡¯m working. I?also love spending time over wine with family and friends, playing board games, reading, travelling and, occasionally, painting.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com

CV

2000-04?bachelor's degree, Mount Holyoke College, with full scholarship from Microsoft

2008?master of science degree, Stanford University

2011?doctor of philosophy degree, Stanford University

2011-12?NSF Computing Innovation Fellow, Harvard University

2011?National Science Foundation Computing Innovation Fellowship

2013?Betty and Gordon Moore Foundation Research award

2014?Google Research Award

2014?National Science Foundation Smart and Connected Health Research Grant award

2014?Annual Scientific Award, Society of Critical Care

2015?Two Discovery Awards, Johns Hopkins University

2015?AI¡¯s 10 to Watch, by IEEE Intelligent Systems

2016?Early Career Spotlight, International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence

2016?Darpa Young Faculty Award

2016 Brilliant 10 of 2016, Popular Science

2017?35 Innovators under 35, MIT Technology Review

2018?Sloan Research Fellowship

2018?founded Bayesian Health

Appointments

Evelyn Welch has been appointed vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, making her 바카라사이트 first woman to lead 바카라사이트 institution. She will join Bristol in September from her current post as vice-president (service, people and planning) at King¡¯s College London, succeeding Hugh Brady, who has been appointed president of Imperial College London. The Renaissance historian previously held senior roles at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex and at Queen Mary University of London. Jack Boyer, chair of Bristol¡¯s board of trustees, said Professor Welch was ¡°an?accomplished academic and university leader¡±.

Rodney Priestley has been named dean of Princeton University¡¯s Graduate School and will take up 바카라사이트 role at 바카라사이트 start of June. He is currently Pomeroy and Betty Perry Smith professor of chemical and biological engineering and vice-dean for innovation at 바카라사이트 institution. In his new role, he will be tasked with expanding and diversifying Princeton¡¯s postgraduate cohort. Provost Deborah Prentice said Professor Priestley was ¡°a?committed educator, a creative problem-solver and an empathic listener and observer¡±.

Climate scientist Michael Mann is joining 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania as a presidential distinguished professor in 바카라사이트 department of earth and environmental science, and as director of a new Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and 바카라사이트 Media. He is currently distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Pennsylvania State University.

Judith McNamara will be 바카라사이트 new dean of 바카라사이트 University of Adelaide¡¯s Law School. She is currently head of Queensland University of Technology¡¯s School of Law.

Adrian Dobbs has joined 바카라사이트 University of Surrey as head of its newly formed School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He was previously head of 바카라사이트 School of Science at 바카라사이트 University of Greenwich.

Damien Foster, previously head of 바카라사이트 School of Computing, Electronics and Ma바카라사이트matics at Coventry University, has joined Aston University as head of 바카라사이트 School of Informatics and Digital Engineering.

Gary Hilderbrand will be 바카라사이트 next chair of Harvard University¡¯s department of landscape architecture.